Another raid at a loacl club

[Temp Poster]

Raid leads to gambling charges against officers
Pair from Roxbury accused of promoting illegal action at Dover social club
Monday, May 02, 2005

BY MAURA McDERMOTT
Star-Ledger Staff

Two police officers are accused of promoting illegal gambling at a Dover social club, law enforcement sources said yesterday.

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office, supported by a helicopter with spotlights, raided the 5th Street Club on Richboynton Road at about midnight Friday, sources said.


Two police officers were arrested on Saturday and charged with gambling, conspiracy, official misconduct and maintaining a gambling premise. They each posted $50,000 bail and were released from the Morris County Jail the same day, sources said.

One officer’s wife also was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit official misconduct, but she was not taken to the county jail, sources said. Another man of Pennsylvania was charged with promoting gambling and conspiracy to commit official misconduct and he posted $30,000 bail.

The prosecutor's office declined to release details of the raid or say how much money was involved in the alleged gambling operation, whether all four defendants were arrested at the club or elsewhere, or whether there were any other arrests. Prosecutor Michael Rubbinaccio has scheduled a news conference for this afternoon.

"They're both excellent officers who perhaps got involved in areas they shouldn't have."

Still, he added, "We've got 75 great guys on that force, and they're dedicated people and they do a great job as far as I'm concerned."

The officer’s wife was listed as the club owner when an application was made to the Dover board of adjustment in August for a use variance to run a social club in an 8,000-square-foot space on the second floor of a vacant, two-story industrial building, said board Chairman Michael Scarneo.

In testimony before the board, the club would serve up to 100 members, according to minutes of the meeting reviewed by Scarneo.

With four to six employees, the members-only, 21-and-older club would offer an "amusement and recreation center" to "business-type people, after-hours executives and law enforcement officers," according to the club's application.

Scarneo said he understood the club was to offer pool tables, "game nights" for chess and other board games, a computer center and separate areas for conversation, smoking, listening to music or watching television. It would serve snacks but no alcohol or cooked food.

Membership would be based on referrals, and the club would charge an annual fee plus per-visit fees.

"It was going to be a social club," Scarneo said. "Everyone was going to undergo a heavy screening process."

The board approved the application, heartened by the notion that police officers were in charge, Scarneo said.

A member of the club, Michael Rodriguez, said yesterday that the club had operated at a firehouse near Lake Musconetcong for about three years.

Rodriguez said club members played poker but he insisted the games were legal and no other gambling took place.

The club's operators checked with their attorney, Amato Galasso, last year before moving to Dover to make sure the poker games were legal, Rodriguez said. Galasso assured them that as long as the house did not take a cut, and as long as no player had an advantage over any other, the operation was legal, Rodriguez said.

"The club didn't make one penny off the gambling," Rodriguez said. "We're not breaking any laws in the state of New Jersey."

Galasso, reached at his home yesterday, declined to comment.

The club had consulted an attorney about whether playing poker was legal and the owners were "under the impression that they were running a legal gambling operation," said Roxbury Township Manager Christopher Raths.

According to state law, it is not criminal to take part in a poker game as long as no one makes a profit other than personal winnings.

Members paid an $80 annual fee, plus $5 an hour for their time in the club, whether they played poker, ping-pong or pool, or just watched television, Rodriguez said.

The players used chips, not cash, and the dealers were members, not paid staffers, he said. Players at cash tables typically bought $100 in chips and could bet as low as $2, he said. Tournament players might buy into a competition for $120.

Rodriguez claimed the police officers had shed their ownership of the club several months ago and they were not at the club on Friday. There that night were about 40 middle-aged men, including lawyers and construction workers, Rodriguez said.

"This is a bunch of middle-aged Americans," he said. "This isn't a Mafia staging ground."

Friday was a slow night because members had heard about a raid several weeks ago at an unrelated gambling club, he said. "It scared a lot of people away," he said.

Rodriguez almost got caught up in the raid himself, he said.

"My timing was impeccable," Rodriguez said. "I was playing at the club, but I left at 10:30. I lost at the tables, but my luck was good in other ways."



[/ QUOTE ]

Staff writers Bill Swayze and Kasi Addison contributed to this report.
05/02/05 - Posted from the Daily Record newsroom

Sting nabs pair of law enforcement officials
Authorities to reveal details of undercover probe, arrests today

By Eugene Mulero, Daily Record

The Morris County prosecutor's office will announce at 2 p.m. today the names of "two law enforcement officials" arrested in an undercover operation, the office disclosed in a press release on Sunday.

A spokesman for the prosecutor's office, Capt. Jeffrey Paul, declined to provide additional information.

The press release stated only that county prosecutor Michael M. Rubbinaccio, Chief Joseph Devine and various federal, state and county officials will address the media today on the investigation.

Prosecutors would not release any further information Sunday -- however, a man who said he frequented a club on Richboynton Road in Dover to play poker said the place was raided by police authorities on Friday night into Saturday morning.

MR, a contractor from Mount Olive, said authorities confiscated almost $200 in cash from him at the Fifth Street Club. Mr. R said the club was a venue for members interested in playing poker for money.

It was unclear whether the alleged raid was connected to today's news conference.

Paul stated he would not comment about the alleged raid when asked on Sunday.

According to R., approximately 50 officers from various departments, including the state police and prosecutor's office, entered the club late Friday night.

R. said the officers were armed and they told the persons at the club to stop playing poker. The authorities then proceeded to confiscate money used for gambling, R. said, during a phone interview on Sunday evening.

Dover police officers said on Sunday they were not aware of any arrests at a club over the weekend. A Dover police dispatcher referred all questions about an alleged raid to the prosecutor's office.

R. said he had been a member of the club since it opened in the fall of 2004. He described the place as a club where men could gamble and play other recreational activities.

Several calls using the number listed online Sunday went unanswered .

On Saturday, Dover First Ward Alderman Scott Miller had said it was impossible to ignore the noise from a helicopter flying low and shining multiple searchlights along the industrial complex on Richboynton Road. He also heard from residents in the North Dover area who went out onto their front porches to see what was going on, since they too, heard the helicopter not long after Friday's midnight.

"It was disturbing," Miller said. "A lot of people were concerned. Everyone is talking about it."

Dover police officers would not confirm if the helicopter was related to the raid.

[BottlesOf]

And by local, you mean.....?

[StellarWind]

This article was lifted from the New Jersey Star-Ledger.

From the Morris County, NJ web site:

"Morris County, among the fastest growing counties in the New Jersey, New York, Connecticut metropolitan region, nestles amid rolling hills, broad valleys and glittering lakes approximately 30 miles northwest of New York City."

[Jersey Nick]

[ QUOTE ]
And by local, you mean.....?

[/ QUOTE ]
This (http://poker.meetup.com/543/photos/32881/102373/) and this (http://poker.meetup.com/543/photos/32881/102373/) probably didn't help this situation. It's 45 minutes (with no tunnel traffic) from midtown NYC. Only 10 minutes from my NJ office, but you couldn't have paid me to play there. This joint was doomed.

[toots]

Nice to see our homeland security tax dollars at work.

I feel safer already.

[canis582]

That is a freakin hot dealer. Ive never seen one that cute in B&M.

[Jersey Nick]

[ QUOTE ]
That is a freakin hot dealer. Ive never seen one that cute in B&M.

[/ QUOTE ]I'm with you, Dog. I don't buy the "dealers were members, not paid staffers" thing for a second. I imagine this gig was keeping her off the pole at the Bada Bing.

[IgorSmiles]

[ QUOTE ]
That is a freakin hot dealer. Ive never seen one that cute in B&M.

[/ QUOTE ]

I guess you havent been to NYPC lately. There is a new dealer who I'll take over any drink girl at the Borgata! Guys were winning $26 pots and tossing her a green chip...

[Riddler]

I am a member. I was not there this past Friday, but actually plaid there the previous Friday, and last Monday.

The place was different than the NYPC. I played there too, until 5th Street opened (I Live about 3 miles away from 5th Street.

You had to pay a member fee ($50-65). You got a membership card with your account number. When you got there, you logged in and when you leave you log out. The fee was $8 per our, whether you played poker or not.

They had free food and drink, a lounge with TV's and about 5 pool tables a couple of ping pong tables, fooseball and air hockey. In the second room, they have 8 poker tables.

You could start up any game you wanted, but usually a 1-2 NL, 2-5NL and a 10-20 Limit was always going on, in addition to nightly tourneys.

The dealers are members and do not get paid by the club. They worked only on tips.

In the article in the Star Ledger, it says poker is legal as long as the house does not benefit from the game (ie a rake/ or time at table) Does anyone know if this is correct?

Technically they did not charge a rake or a fee to sit at the table, just a usaged time at the entire club. (Kind of a gray area, assuming it is legal to play poker.

Any thoughts?

Riddler

[Luv2DriveTT]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
That is a freakin hot dealer. Ive never seen one that cute in B&M.

[/ QUOTE ]

I guess you havent been to NYPC lately. There is a new dealer who I'll take over any drink girl at the Borgata! Guys were winning $26 pots and tossing her a green chip...

[/ QUOTE ]

Time for me to start playing NL!

the weekly 'home' game has a really cute Korean gal dealing. I'm busy trying to get her fixed up cause she is too cute to remain single.

TT /images/graemlins/club.gif

PS: I live in NJ, but I won't play here except in AC. Too much risk.

[ QUOTE ]
I am a member. I was not there this past Friday, but actually plaid there the previous Friday, and last Monday.

The place was different than the NYPC. I played there too, until 5th Street opened (I Live about 3 miles away from 5th Street.

You had to pay a member fee ($50-65). You got a membership card with your account number. When you got there, you logged in and when you leave you log out. The fee was $8 per our, whether you played poker or not.

They had free food and drink, a lounge with TV's and about 5 pool tables a couple of ping pong tables, fooseball and air hockey. In the second room, they have 8 poker tables.

You could start up any game you wanted, but usually a 1-2 NL, 2-5NL and a 10-20 Limit was always going on, in addition to nightly tourneys.

The dealers are members and do not get paid by the club. They worked only on tips.

In the article in the Star Ledger, it says poker is legal as long as the house does not benefit from the game (ie a rake/ or time at table) Does anyone know if this is correct?

Technically they did not charge a rake or a fee to sit at the table, just a usaged time at the entire club. (Kind of a gray area, assuming it is legal to play poker.

Any thoughts?

Riddler

[/ QUOTE ]

I looked at NJ gambling law a few times in connection with a football pool a friend ran. My understanding is that gambling is legal as long as there is no "house", i.e., the operator is not making money off of the game. Participants are called "players"; it is not a crime to be a "player". If the operator does not take a cut but participates, my recollection is that the law defines him as a "player", provided he does not materially assist in establishing or operating the game -- but merely providing cards and table is not material assistance as long as the operator is on equal footing with the rest of the players.

It's a little convoluted, but I think what the Ledger said is accurate. I hope what I am saying is correct.

[BISCO]

[ QUOTE ]
Technically they did not charge a rake or a fee to sit at the table, just a usaged time at the entire club. (Kind of a gray area, assuming it is legal to play poker.

[/ QUOTE ]

are you kidding me?

do you think the police are THAT stupid?

the place was a profitably card room, no two ways about it. just because the owners think they found some cute loophole doesnt make it magically legal.

[Riddler]

Actually the owners of this club are COPS. I would guess that 40-50% of the members are either Cops or Fireman

They went to the town, obtained a license to operate a "Social Club". They weren't hiding anything. They actually had a sign outside "5th Street Social Club, Members Only".

From what I understand, they hired attorney's, got approval from the town. The article even says the mayor had knowledge.
And since gambling is legal in NJ as long as the house doesn't profit from gambling, there claim is that they were not profiting from the poker, but from membership dues. It is not unlike a Country Club that has initial dues and a monthly membership fee to have access to the clubhouse.

From what I am hearing from some other members (cops), they paid taxes to the IRS for 2004.

In my opinion, Atlantic City put pressure to do something. This is the 3rd bust of a poker club in the past 30 days in NJ (one in Clifton, NJ and Ridgewood,NJ)

And another thing, it was crazy that they had helicopters come in with a SWAT team. The location has only one road out and it is on the second floor of a warehouse with only 1 entrance. This was done for effect. I would bet that some of the 50 cops that came in for the Bust were Dover Cops, who frequented the club at some time.

[BISCO]

[ QUOTE ]
And since gambling is legal in NJ as long as the house doesn't profit from gambling, there claim is that they were not profiting from the poker, but from membership dues. It is not unlike a Country Club that has initial dues and a monthly membership fee to have access to the clubhouse.

[/ QUOTE ]

that is quite possibly the worst argument ever.

what kind of legitimate social club charges by the hour?

we all know that 99% of the people there had the primary purpose of playing poker, and since they charged by the hour to be there...they are directly profiting by running a gambling house.

this "loophole" isnt even that ingenious...and has a snowballs chance in hell of holding up as a defense in court

[camp43]

http://www.dailyrecord.com/news/articles/news1-gambling.htm

Police: Roxbury cops ran gambling club in Dover
By Peggy Wright, Daily Record

Authorities have broken up a makeshift, illegal casino housed in a massive warehouse in Dover, where two Roxbury police officers and their friend allegedly ran poker games and tournaments that raked in as much as $10,000 a week.

The two officers -- Sgt. Richard M. Winstock, 36, of Independence, and Thomas J. Juskus, 42, of Knowlton, both in Warren County -- were suspended with pay immediately after their arrests Saturday on charges of official misconduct, conspiracy, maintaining a gambling resort, and promoting gambling since at least Dec. 4. Their 5th Street Club, is in an 8,000-square-foot warehouse at 48 Richboynton Road in Dover.

Winstock's wife, Jennifer Winstock, 32, was charged with the same offenses, as was Scott K. Furer, identified as the 42-year-old, day-to-day manager of the illicit gambling business and a resident of Lackawaxen, Pa.

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office -- aided in Friday's midnight raid by state police -- swooped down on the warehouse with a helicopter hovering overhead to scan the rooftop and provide protection. Forty-five people were inside, including Furer, said Morris County Prosecutor Michael M. Rubbinaccio.

Rubbinaccio and office Chief of Investigations Joseph A. Devine said that records seized from the club are being scrutinized to see whether other police are involved in the enterprise or listed as any of the 340 recorded club members. Officers seized $27,000 at the club and searched both officers' lockers at work on Saturday.

"Part of their scheme was to allow police officers to gamble free of charge in an attempt to protect themselves and infect other officers into getting involved in illegal gambling," Rubbinaccio alleged Monday.

The warehouse had been under surveillance since January and undercover detectives posing as customers started going inside in March as non-members, where they traded hundreds of dollars for chips to play poker games, prosecutors alleged.

The undercover investigators were urged to give tips to dealers, offered the chance for a massage, and told nonmembers were welcome on Monday nights, when they would pay $5 per hour, prosecutors said.

Memberships cost $75, and members were charged $10 per hour to play, according to an arrest affidavit prepared by Prosecutor's Office Detective Thomas Primo.

The undercover officers were encouraged to play in tournaments with top prizes of $3,800 and $6,000, the affidavit said

Neither Winstock could be reached for comment Monday, but a woman who answered the phone at their Independence home and identified herself as Richard Winstock's sister, Lisa, said that a law firm in Woodbridge has been retained.

"They are very, very eager to give their side of the story but have been advised by legal counsel not to talk at this time," said Lisa Winstock.

Anthony Arbore, a lawyer retained by Juskus, said the officer will maintain his innocence.

"What we're dealing with here is a long-standing law enforcement officer with an exemplary history. The bottom line is these people, they tried purposefully to do everything by the book. They were up front with all authorities," Arbore said.

The Dover zoning board of adjustment in August 2004 gave the Winstocks approval to operate a "social club" for members only at the warehouse, that supposedly would operate four days a week and have four to six employees. Maximum usage would not exceed 100 people, according to the application.

Shortly before the approval was granted, the prosecutor's office received information that two Roxbury officers were involved in heavy gambling at local firehouses, according to records. A superior officer in Roxbury then told an assistant prosecutor that two Roxbury officers, including Winstock, were interested in running a poker tournament. The same superior told the prosecutor's office that two officers were planning to open a social club that would allow gambling and other social-related activities on the premises.

After the zoning board gave its approval based upon an application that did not emphasize poker playing, the prosecutor's office for months monitored the growth of the club and information disseminated on its Web site.

The Web site referred to poker meeting groups, tournaments, and refers to one tournament drawing 195 players. On March 21, two undercover officers met Rich, whom they learned was Winstock, and he confided to them that he invested over $100,000 in renovating the club, the arrest affidavit said.

Winstock allegedly spoke to the officers about other illegal gambling clubs in the area, and then an undercover proposed to Furer that he was interested in setting up a club in Bayonne that was similar to 5th Street Club.

In talks in April about such a plan, Furer allegedly told the undercover that Winstock had to "take a couple steps back" because he is a cop and the warehouse enterprise was "in a grey area."

Furer allegedly confided that the business used the best attorneys available, and he dismissed concerns about law enforcement raiding the club because, he said, police officers belonged to 5th Street and "the phone would be ringing off the hook if something were going to happen," the affidavit said.

The arrest affidavit states that on April 18, one of the undercovers posing as a patron got a message from Jennifer Winstock, who said she had taken over her husband's shares of the business and would be the person to whom he would have to talk about starting another gambling business in Bayonne. Jennifer Winstock confided that her husband had been ordered by Roxbury Police Chief Mark Noll not to go to the club anymore.

The wife told the undercover that her husband was awaiting word from the chief, who allegedly was consulting with the prosecutor's office about his role in the club, the affidavit said. On April 24, the undercover officer met with Richard Winstock, who said he started out running poker tournaments at firehouses and confided that he knew an internal investigation was under way into 5th Street Club.

"He acknowledged the possibility that 5th Street Club could be raided at any time," the affidavit said of Winstock's discussion with the undercover. Winstock also claimed the club made between $8,000 and $10,000 in a good week.

Noll, the police chief, said early Monday that both officers were "excellent officers."

"It's unfortunate that they've gotten into an area that they shouldn't have," Noll said.

Noll could not be reached for comment at his office or at home, after the prosecutor's office released copies of the arrest affidavits for the four defendants.

In the affidavit, Winstock is quoted as telling the undercover in April that his chief does not want him involved in the club.

Township Manager Chris Raths said the township was aware of both officers' involvement in a social club and recently had requested information from them to make sure the operation was legitimate.

"My understanding was they were not directly involved in the club and they had contacted their own attorneys in regard to the legality of the club," Raths said.

Both Winstocks were arrested at their home simultaneous to the raid on the club. Juskus, who authorities said contributed about $19,000 to the club's formation but was trying to sell his share to the Winstocks, was arrested Saturday.

Furer was picked up during the raid. All are free on bail.

[Jersey Nick]

NJ Star-Ledger

Telling prosecutor about gambling a bad bet for cops
Request for his advice leads to their arrests
Tuesday, May 03, 2005


The Roxbury police accused of running an illegal gambling parlor say they asked the Morris County prosecutor if their operation would break any laws.

The prosecutor answered with the Friday night raid that led to the arrests of Sgt. Richard Winstock and Officer Thomas Juskus.

In other words, the officers tipped off the prosecutor on themselves.

Anthony Arbore, the lawyer for Juskus, said yesterday his client asked the prosecutor months ago whether hosting poker games at a social club in Dover would be a violation of the law.

"They did everything by the book and it was clear at all stages there would be card playing," Arbore said. "They told their chief. And they asked for an opinion and invited the prosecutor over to see it for himself.

"The raid," Arbore said, "was unnecessary and unwarranted."

Roxbury Police Chief Mark Noll said his department also asked the prosecutor's office for an opinion in November when Winstock and Juskus were gearing up to open the 5th Street Club in a warehouse off Route 15.

Following a news conference yesterday announcing the arrests, Prosecutor Michael Rubbinaccio said, "I did have a conversation with Chief Noll and Mr. Arbore and told them that I would not provide them with a legal opinion and the officers would be risking their careers if they were engaged in illegal conduct."

On Saturday, Winstock and his wife Jennifer were arrested at their home in Independence Township and Juskus was arrested at his home in Knowlton Township. The alleged manager of the club, Scott Furer of Pennsylvania, was arrested during the raid.

Winstock and Juskus are charged with gambling, conspiracy, official misconduct and maintaining a gambling premise and are free on $50,000 bail each. They each face up to 10 years in prison.

Richard Winstock, a patrol supervisor, has been on the Roxbury police force for about eight years. Juskus, who works in traffic safety, has served for about 20 years. Both have been suspended with pay.

Jennifer Winstock and Furer are charged with aiding and abetting misconduct in office, maintaining a gambling resort, promoting gambling and conspiracy. Scott is free on $30,000 bail; Winstock was released on her own recognizance.

During the news conference, Rubbinaccio said the club operated five nights a week, 12 hours a day, with as many as 200 gamblers playing at one time. He said the club raked in $5,000 to $10,000 a week in profits.

What made the operation illegal were the fees charged to play poker, authorities said. Members at the poker tables paid a $10 hourly fee on top of tips per hand and the $75 membership fee, authorities said.

Authorities are now looking to find the other cops they say frequented the club free of charge for high stakes Texas Hold'Em poker games.

Rubbinaccio said Winstock and Juskus "allowed police officers to gamble free of charge in an attempt to protect themselves and infect other police officers in getting involved. ... It helped create the atmosphere of protection."

"My suggestion to the police officers is to contact my office before I contact them," the prosecutor said.

Seized in the raid was $27,000 from the club's safe and the club's membership list with 340 names, including those of police officers, said detective Thomas Primo of the prosecutor's office. Some 45 people were on hand when the club was raided.

"We're banking on them keeping accurate records," Primo said.

Authorities also confiscated a computer that includes the club's financial records.

Law enforcement authorities said anyone who hosts a poker game must be careful not to profit from it financially, aside from their own winnings.

"An office pool or a home poker game are legal as long as no one is taking any cut for organizing the game," said John Hagerty, spokesman for the state Division of Criminal Justice. "If the operator is getting a benefit by sponsoring the game, then I suspect it is illegal."

Attorney Amato Galasso, who represented the 5th Street Club when it requested a use variance from the Dover Board of Adjustment in August, compared the organization to a country club whose activities include card games. Members were charged dues for the time they spent at the club, regardless of whether they were playing poker, pool, pingpong or just hanging out, he said.

Galasso researched the law on poker games and wrote up a document on his clients' behalf, offering his opinion that the games were legal as long as the club did not take a percentage of the players' winnings and as long as no player had an advantage over any other.

The club did not take a percentage of the winnings or charge for tournaments, he said.

Along with poker tournaments, the club ran regular tournaments in pool, pingpong and darts, he said.

"If (Winstock and Juskus) thought it was illegal, my clients would have closed it down a long time ago," Galasso said.

The late-night raid was not the first arrest at the 5th Street Club. In March, authorities said, an 18-year-old masseuse, Kyra Amick of Chester Township, was arrested on drug charges. Amick gave massages at the gambling tables, said Capt. Jeff Paul of the prosecutor's office.

[Jersey Nick]

[ QUOTE ]
PS: I live in NJ, but I won't play here except in AC. Too much risk.

[/ QUOTE ]
TT, I was interested to hear your take. Even though I only know you from the board, I was pretty sure this would be your position too.

Loophole, shmoophole - there was no way this operation stood a chance. I had buddies from work who wanted me to go to 5th St. a couple months ago. When I saw it on meetup I begged off and warned them that it would be a matter of weeks before it was busted.

The only way I would play in a club in NJ was if it was a Mason, Elk, Ealge, etc. game and I was a member. I hear the Masons are recruiting, but I don't really see myself as the secret-handshake type.

[midas]

Jersey Nick:

A few months ago I was invited to a similar place in East Hanover where every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night a $100 buy-in tournment is held. I passed after hearing that cops play and the parking lot overflows - too much exposure for my taste.

[Jersey Nick]

[ QUOTE ]
I passed after hearing that cops play and the parking lot overflows - too much exposure for my taste.

[/ QUOTE ]Absolutely. Imagine you lay a bad beat on Officer Friendly. Would he still be Friendly if he pulled you over for a traffic stop the next week?

[IgorSmiles]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I passed after hearing that cops play and the parking lot overflows - too much exposure for my taste.

[/ QUOTE ]Absolutely. Imagine you lay a bad beat on Officer Friendly. Would he still be Friendly if he pulled you over for a traffic stop the next week?

[/ QUOTE ]

Gotta disagree with you there. Any cop you play cards with is much more likely to give you a break than a stranger. Unless after handing him a beat, you jump up and scream like that european retard at last year's WSOP.

[Jersey Nick]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I passed after hearing that cops play and the parking lot overflows - too much exposure for my taste.

[/ QUOTE ]Absolutely. Imagine you lay a bad beat on Officer Friendly. Would he still be Friendly if he pulled you over for a traffic stop the next week?

[/ QUOTE ]
Gotta disagree with you there. Any cop you play cards with is much more likely to give you a break than a stranger. Unless after handing him a beat, you jump up and scream like that european retard at last year's WSOP.

[/ QUOTE ]I was just asking the question, but your statement is somewhat reassuring. What I really agree with Midas about is that any NJ game with cops right now would have too much exposure.

[StellarWind]

It appears from the articles that the operators adopted a deliberate strategy of catering to cops and allowing them to play for free as a method of protecting their business.

I don't see a harmless poker room anymore. I see organized crime. Protecting the integrity of law enforcement agencies is very important. Even an appearance of corruption is very bad. I don't blame the DA for taking a hard line if this is what was actually happening.

[Riddler]

[ QUOTE ]


[/ QUOTE ]

what kind of legitimate social club charges by the hour?

we all know that 99% of the people there had the primary purpose of playing poker, and since they charged by the hour to be there...they are directly profiting by running a gambling house.



[/ QUOTE ]

First off, I find this topic interesting, and I like playing Devil's Advocate, (I did not even know Gambling in NJ was legal until this came out other than casinos of course) I hope you do not think I am arguing for the sake of arguing, but.... /images/graemlins/smile.gif

So if a social club that charges by the hour then it seems less legitamate.

What about a card game at a Country Club. For example, I am a member at Panther Vally Country Club. I am an associate member. As an associate member, I get to play Golf on certain times, and have access to the club house. Let's say that I do not play Golf, but I like the social aspect of the club. I paid an initial fee, and monthly dues. I only do two activities:

1) I eat at the club house (really only because they make me)

2) I play cards their Once a month. They hold a Hold'em tournament.

Is this more legitimate because I pay monthly vs. hourly? As a member, I would like to pay hourly so I can pay as I go.

[BISCO]

[ QUOTE ]
Is this more legitimate because I pay monthly vs. hourly? As a member, I would like to pay hourly so I can pay as I go.

[/ QUOTE ]

but if you read the article, the members are already paying a yearly fee, then a time charge on top of that. your argument doesnt hold up.

if the majority of people in the club are there to gamble, and the club takes money based on how long they are there, then it is obvious that they are making money from gambling.

whereas in every other type of legitimate club, the fees are the same regardless of amount of time you use the country club. they are also taking money in from the activity of golf, rather than a club solely to try and skirt illegal gaming laws. nobody was paying simply to hang out in this club and you know it, and the judge will too.

[Luv2DriveTT]

[ QUOTE ]
It appears from the articles that the operators adopted a deliberate strategy of catering to cops and allowing them to play for free as a method of protecting their business.

I don't see a harmless poker room anymore. I see organized crime. Protecting the integrity of law enforcement agencies is very important. Even an appearance of corruption is very bad. I don't blame the DA for taking a hard line if this is what was actually happening.

[/ QUOTE ]

I concur.

TT /images/graemlins/club.gif

[Luv2DriveTT]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]


[/ QUOTE ]
I did not even know Gambling in NJ was legal until this came out other than casinos of course

[/ QUOTE ]

Its not. Once gambling is organized by a business, or the is a "house" of any kind, then the game becomes illegal. I would assume this technically means the home game where the house asks everyone to chip in to cover his expenses for food, but I doubt home games have anything to worry about here.

What we all tend to forget is all it takes is one irate former player to contact the DA's office or the vice squad to make everyone's life miserable.

TT /images/graemlins/club.gif

[Jersey Nick]

Roxbury chief says he told cops to stay clear of club

Officers in gambling case wanted 'lawful' place, attorney says

By Matt Manochio, Daily Record

Roxbury's police chief said he had warned two of his officers not to be involved in the recently raided social club in Dover - which authorities called an illegal gambling operation - back when the club was under construction last fall.

The two officers, Sgt. Richard M. Winstock, 36, of Independence, and patrolman Thomas J. Juskus, 42, of Knowlton, each were charged over the weekend with official misconduct, conspiracy, maintaining a gambling resort and promoting gambling at the 5th Street Club. They were suspended with pay by Roxbury after their arrests.

Darren Gelber, who represents Winstock, said Tuesday the two Roxbury officers did "everything in their power … to ensure that this place was lawful. They went through their chain of command in their own police department, they got proper variances from the town. They talked to other people in law enforcement."

Roxbury Police Chief Mark Noll said Tuesday that he was concerned from the outset, "even before the place opened," and advised the officers not to be involved in the club.

Noll explained that his officers needed to get official clearance if they were to be involved with any work outside of the police department.

"It was last fall sometime," Noll said. "I knew that they were doing construction on this particular place down in Dover. Before you can work an outside job, you have to get permission from the police department."

He said he knew card games would be held at the club, and the only thing his officers had permission to do was to be involved in construction and janitorial duties.

"I thought it was very clear to them that they were not to be involved in any facet of club operations," Noll said.

The chief's mindset regarding the men's participation in the club was, "You're police officers. You really have no business being involved in this type of operation. That was from the very beginning."

According to arrest affidavits, Juskus was an investor in the club, having put up $19,000. Richard Winstock, back in August, told the Dover Board of Adjustment that he was one of the club's owners. His wife, Jennifer, 32, was identified as one of the partners who had taken over her husband's shares and spoke on his behalf.

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office, which raided the 8,000-square-foot club in a warehouse on Richboynton Road, also arrested Jennifer Winstock, who was charged with the same offenses, as was Scott K. Furer, 42, of Lackawaxen, Pa., identified as the day-to-day manager of the business.

'No secret'

Attorneys for both Roxbury police officers said their clients were very up front with their superiors about the club.

"This place was no secret," Gelber said. "If Winstock was looking to engage in criminal activity, this was surely not the way to go about it." Gelber also represents Jennifer Winstock, and said his clients will plead innocent.

He continued, "Quite frankly, given the popularity these days of Texas Hold 'em, if what was going on that club (was illegal) … then I hope (Morris County Prosecutor Michael M. Rubbinaccio) brings all of those same resources to bear against the local fire houses (and) VFWs that advertise in newspapers."

Anthony Arbore, the attorney for Juskus, said Monday his client was innocent and had been up front with authorities about the club.

Authorities have said that the social club was illegal essentially because the owners' allegedly made money off the poker games and gambling allegedly was the club's only reason for existing. The owners, they charged, took a percentage of tips paid to dealers and also charged poker players $10 an hour to play.

Winstock testified before the Dover Board of Adjustment last August to obtain a variance to operate the club in town. He told the board members that card games, including poker, would be played there. He told them a yearly fee would be charged to members in addition to an hourly fee to use all the club's features, including billiards, darts and board games.

"They never took a cut of any gambling activity," Gelber said of his clients.

Rubbinaccio and that office's Chief of Investigations, Joseph A. Devine, said records seized from the club are being scrutinized to see whether other police are involved in the enterprise or listed as any of the 340 recorded club members. Authorities seized $27,000 at the club and searched the two Roxbury officers' lockers at work on Saturday.

Under surveillance

The warehouse had been under surveillance since January. Undercover detectives posing as customers started going inside in March as non-members, where they traded hundreds of dollars for chips to play poker games, prosecutors alleged.

The arrest affidavit states that on April 18, one of the undercovers posing as a patron asked about starting a similar club in Bayonne and got a message from Jennifer Winstock, who said she had taken over her husband's shares of the business and would be the person to whom he would have to talk. Jennifer Winstock confided that her husband had been ordered by Roxbury Police Chief Mark Noll not to go to the club anymore.

The wife told the undercover officer that her husband was awaiting word from the chief, who reportedly was consulting with the prosecutor's office about his role in the club, the affidavit said. On April 24, the undercover officer met with Richard Winstock, who said he started out running poker tournaments at firehouses and confided that he knew an internal investigation was underway into 5th Street Club.

"He acknowledged the possibility that 5th Street Club could be raided at any time," the affidavit said of Winstock's discussion with the undercover. Winstock also claimed the club made between $8,000 and $10,000 in a good week.

Meanwhile Tuesday, some police chiefs in the area expressed surprise about the club's existence and the officers' arrests.

"I hadn't heard (anything) at all," Dover police Chief Harold Valentine said Tuesday. "I have no clue what went on there or what was the membership."

Rockaway Police Chief Gary Farina said he first heard of the club through newspaper accounts of the arrests.

"I knew nothing about it," Farina said. "I was shocked. Sometimes you hear it through the grapevine. I was surprised."

(Jersey Nick comment: Puh-lease! Both of these guys are angling to play Sgt. Schultz in the Hollywood remake of Hogan's Heroes.)

[Luv2DriveTT]

[ QUOTE ]
The warehouse had been under surveillance since January. Undercover detectives posing as customers started going inside in March as non-members, where they traded hundreds of dollars for chips to play poker games, prosecutors alleged.

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This is how past raids occurred in NY as well. The whole paid membership angle can easily be debunked when the undercover officers walk in and play without membership.

TT